2-12-12 - "Settler" ~ Balmorhea

I found this band on thesixtyone the other day (a site worth checking out - fun way to discover new tunes).  They're an instrumental outfit from Texas, named after a small town quite a ways away from the bigger cities.  Their sound, however, is much larger than their namesake.

Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay) bring lush orchestration and soaring melodies, reminiscent of carefree summer days.  This track features a backbone of piano with strings along for the ride.  A subtle guitar breakdown  laced with ethereal vocal harmonies gives you a breather before the climax, when the pace picks up and claps join the strings and vocals in a manner reminiscent of The David Wax Museum.  This type of tune could easily be part of a movie soundtrack, but stands alone as well:

12-13-11 - "Saw You First" ~ Givers

Just a fun little ditty about staking your claim to a cute girl (or guy).  Or maybe that's not it at all.  Either way, I bet you'll enjoy this tune from the Louisiana-based indie poppers (can we say "poppers" like we say "rockers"?)  The band has landed a track (although not this one) on the FIFA '12 soundtrack (that's a video game, for those who aren't gamers; and it's a soccer game, for those who aren't lovers of the beautiful game.)


So yeah, song:

Song again, SXSW style:

and FREE DOWNLOAD of the SXSW performance (can also score another track, "Atlantic".)  Free = Awesome.  Get the mp3s here at Big Ugly Yellow Couch.

"In the light, there’s still stormin’

in the shade, there’s still warmin’

you’ll see ~ what you’ll be

in the grey, there’s still colors..."

11-30-11 - "Santa Fe" ~ Beirut

Beirut is an interesting band.  I haven't yet fully explored their catalog, but what I've heard, I've enjoyed.  However, I say "interesting" because it's not necessarily the kind of stuff that grabs you at the first measure and doesn't let you go, and it's not necessarily easy to grasp the depth of the songs without giving it some time to digest.  Don't get me wrong, this isn't some totally obscure and inaccessible music, it's definitely pleasing to the ears; but neither this track nor Elephant Gun (nor several others) are simple and straightforward lyrically, and it may take a few listens to really get into the music (but it's worth it!)  So you either have to be in the mood to get into some thought, or just enjoy the music and not worry about the meaning.


This one seems to have to do with more than just the actual town of Santa Fe (although singer/songwriter Zach Condon hails from the town).  I kind of concur with some of the folks on songmeanings.net, who think it may be a dual meaning - being called home both physically and spiritually.  "Santa Fe" means "holy faith" in Spanish, and I can definitely see the parallels in the lyrics.


The town is overlooked by the Cross of the Martyrs, which may be the cross referenced in the song... or not.  Pretty sweet looking though, no?

(photo borrowed from grumpygrimble on Panoramio)

Then you have the music video, which has some dark moments but conveys a message through them.  It doesn't necessarily directly parallel the song's lyrics, but then again, maybe it does...

And just because I can, here's a live performance too:

"On the cross, Santa Fe

and all I want

sign me up, Santa Fe

and call your son…"

11-9-11 - "Old Friend" ~ The O.C. Supertones

I find tonight's track to be incredibly evocative.  Every time I hear the opening chords, I'm instantly transported to a beach in SoCal.  Wait, I've never been to California, but I can still imagine what it would be like!  The music just has that vibe of sitting around a bonfire on the beach, in the late (late) Indian summer, after one last perfect day riding the waves, enjoying the company of close friends and playing some surfy, relaxing tunes to wind things down...

 (photo borrowed from laurenmeg)

This one lacks the trademark horns and blistering ska heat of the bulk of the band's work, but it's one of my favorites from their catalog nonetheless.  As I mentioned, the gentle surf guitar and bass rhythm are just swell, the harmonies sublime, and the guitar solo in the bridge is beautiful in its restraint.

"What do I know? Somebody tell me

I've been running from you for so long…"

(photo borrowed from yan_san)

9-28-11 - "O.C. Supertones" ~ The O.C. Supertones

Some days, no matter how important your project is at work, no matter how "disrespectful" it may be considered to those around you, you just gotta crank some ska.  Today was one of those days.  


Ska's prime was a while ago, to be sure; can't say I listen to the genre frequently these days, but if you're in the right mood it's still great.  And yes, when I said "crank", I meant "go one click higher than normal on the computer volume button", so I wasn't really sticking it to the man.  But man, hearing this album (and especially this song) just made me happy.


Give it a try and just try to stay angry or depressed or whatever unpleasant mood you may be in right now.  And if you're already feeling good, this will only expound upon your good feelings.  I promise.


"O.C. Supertones" ~ The Orange County Supertones (grooveshark link)


"Orange County, huh?"

9-22-11 - "Chase This Light" ~ Jimmy Eat World

I rocked some of my slightly older albums today at work (nice and quiet-like, so as not to disturb the other cube monkeys...)  Jimmy Eat World is always good for a pick-me-up.  This track oozes hope and joy - joy taken in the little things in life, hope that red-letter moments currently experienced with a lover will last forever.


There's more to the song, but I'll let you decipher the nuances for yourself:

"Confetti rainfall in the quiet streets

the beauty is in what you make it

so get up on your feet…"

7-24-11 - "Sweetness" ~ Jimmy Eat World

Oh, just a sweet little track from around the time I headed to college by a little band from Arizona... 


Some might say the song is about drugs; some say it's about a broken heart and the girl who caused it.  I say it's about Mike&Ikes:

But seriously, I'm not sure, because the "little sweet and simple numbing me" could be a kiss, or it could be cocaine, or whatever.  I just like the song.  Perhaps the most interesting musical element for me is the chord selection, mostly in the verses where I keep expecting the guitars to hit with a major after each line but it's some kind of dissonant minor.  And yet the song still comes across with an upbeat sound, especially towards the end...

"So tell me what do I need,
when words lose their meaning?"

7-17-11 - "Let's Win" ~ Alexander

Here's a super catchy track from Alexander Ebert (he of Edward Sharpe AND the Magnetic Zeros).  No, it's not about Charlie Sheen "winning".  Pretty much just a call for love and peace, perhaps with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek praise of the American Dream thrown in...

Live/Acoustic/Solo/Guitar:

"Do you know the way, the things to say,
the way to win the game of life?
I should know better..."

7-7-11 - "Breakfast At Tiffany's" ~ Deep Blue Something

I've been on a bit of a '90s kick lately, so here's another sweet song you probably heard on the radio back then.  Deep Blue Something might qualify as a one hit wonder, but man it was a good one.  Supremely catchy tune, and I never got sick of it.  Probably ought to watch the movie sometime...

"I see you, the only one who knew me
but now your eyes see through me
I guess I was wrong..."

6-26-11 - "Follow You Down" ~ The Gin Blossoms

OK, folks, it's time for the Nineties at Nine!  Except it's not nine, unless you happen to be reading this at nine... but anyway.  Here's a song you'll likely remember from 1996 or so; it's one of those insanely catchy pop rock summery tunes that flood the airwaves for months when they're released... fortunately, even though it was overplayed back then, enough time has passed that it's pretty cool to listen to again.


Seems to be about sticking with a lover (or just a great friend?) through good times and bad, come what may... or maybe it's about getting back together with an ex after a failed relationship, or maybe it's about a bandmate who got into self-destructive pattern... take what you will from it.

"Let's not do the wrong thing and I'll swear it might be fun
It's a long way down when all the knots we've tied have come undone..."

6-8-11 - "Elephant Gun" ~ Beirut

Thanks to the miracle of technology (read: facebook), I just heard this song and this band for the first time, and I can't stop listening.  My friends in Bright Black Bright (more on them another day) posted the song.  It's a beautiful track with a bit of a circus-y feel (and not just because of the Elephants in the title - something about the 3/4 time, the accordion, and the trumpet).  Kinda a wistful, whimsical mood - you're not sure whether to be happy or sad.  The lyrics are a bit of a puzzle, but seem to deal with regretting missed opportunities in life, yearning for adventure (hunting the big game with the proverbial elephant gun), or possibly it's a metaphor for a war (or several wars...)


(Wow, could I get any more parenthetical?)


Let me know what you think:

"it rips through the silence, all that is left is all that I hide..."

2-1-11 - "Lucky Denver Mint" ~ Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World is one of the great band names of our time.  Their music is kinda cool, too.  Here's a good one from one of their earlier releases.

"A dollar under water keeps on dreaming for me..."

1-18-11 - "Hear You Me" ~ Jimmy Eat World

This song is steeped in the emotions associated with losing someone dear to you.  It's all too easy to take people for granted, or to simply become accustomed to their presence and influence in our lives.  Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone, and sometimes you don't adequately reciprocate the love and generosity that a person has spent on you until it's too late.  Don't take anything for granted in this life, especially not your loved ones.

"and if you were with me tonight,
i'd sing to you just one more time - 
a song for a heart so big, God wouldn't let it live..."